by TChris

The Justice Policy Institute released a report (pdf) that explores the impact of "drug free zones" on racial disparity in the criminal justice system. This recap is from the Drug Policy Alliance, which commissioned the report:

Although intended to provide a safe haven for youth, drug-free zone laws do not deter drug activity within prohibited zones. While not achieving the intended goals, these laws contribute to unacceptably high levels of racial disparity in the use of incarceration and subject people of color to stiffer punishment than whites engaged in similar conduct. Several states are considering proposals to either eliminate or narrow the scope of the drug-free zone laws, in order to enhance public safety and minimize unintended consequences.

by TChris

Chuck Plinton killed himself after he was kicked out of the University of Akron for drug dealing. The case was built on the word of a paid informant and on a police officer's belated claim that Plinton had provided an unrecorded confession. Plinton's tragic story illustrates the danger of relying on paid snitches.

The informant, Richard Dale Harris, 35, was a career criminal and a paid operative of the Summit County Police Department. Among the long list of people he had fingered was his own sister. He claims he ratted on her to save her children from her.

The police paid Harris $50 for every drug buy he claimed to make. He told the police he'd purchased from Plinton twice, but Plinton's work records at the University showed that he was signed in at his job on the other side of the campus when the buys allegedly occurred.

by TChris

The Washington Post tells us that U.S. Family Network, a nonprofit "created to promote a pro-family political agenda in Congress," has instead promoted the financial interests of Edwin and Wendy Buckham, who pocketed more than a third of the organization's receipts. Edwin Buckham helped found the organization while he was working as Tom DeLay's chief of staff. Is anyone surprised that Jack Abramoff plays a key role in the story?

The group's revenue was drawn mostly from clients of Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff, according to its records. From an FBI subpoena for the records, it can be inferred that the bureau is exploring whether there were links between the payments and favorable legislative treatment of Abramoff's clients by DeLay's office. ... The group appears to have served mostly as a vehicle for funneling corporate funds to DeLay's advisers and financing ads that attacked Democrats.

Edwin and Wendy paid more than $3,000 a month to DeLay's wife over a three year period. Abramoff's clients understood that pleasing the Buckhams would please DeLay.

Our sincere condolences to Senator Robert Byrd.

Emma Byrd died Saturday after a long illness. The Byrds were married 69 years. She was 88.

"Erma and I are complete and whole, a total that is more than the sum of its parts," Byrd said of his wife on their 65th wedding anniversary in 2002. "In my life, Erma Ora Byrd is the diamond. She is a priceless treasure, a multifaceted woman of great insight and wisdom, of quiet humor and common sense."

Emma Byrd, may you rest in peace.

I've got miles to go before I blog today, so here's a round-up and space to discuss. Tomorrow the Senate begins debating dastardly changes to our immigration laws. We are a nation of immigrants and it would be great if every blogger wrote a post today or tomorrow about how their ancesters, grandparents or parents, whatever the case may be, got here. We could get a great meme going on this, especially if readers added their stories in the comments. I intend to write mine tonight -- I'm going to the office to now to try and locate a picture of my great-grandfather.

Ok, first news, then blogs:

News:

• Former Gov. George Ryan's corruption trial is in jeopardy - two jurors hid criminal backgrounds
• Tom Trancredo's move from House pest to cultist
• Scalia speaks in Switzerland: Detainees have no rights. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the Hamden case Tuesday.
• Medical marijuana returns to the 9th Circuit Monday
• Killing and Torture in Baghdad

Both the AP and the LA Times are reporting that today's pro-immigrant march in Los Angeles turned out 500.000 people.

Saturday's march was among the largest for any cause in recent U.S. history. Police came up with the crowd estimate using aerial photographs and other techniques, police Cmdr. Louis Gray Jr. said.

...."Enough is enough of the xenophobic movement," said Norman Martinez, 63, who immigrated from Honduras as a child and marched in Los Angeles. "They are picking on the weakest link in society, which has built this country."

Bump and Update: The Senate Judiciary Committee will begin debating the Senate version of H.R. 4437 on Monday. It has already passed the House.

Update: From Common Dreams:

Apparently drowned out by the shrill charges and counter-charges in the immigration debate is a simple truth articulated by George Hunsinger, McCord professor of theology at Princeton Theological Seminary and coordinator of Church Folks for a Better America. He told us,

"No human being -- whether citizen or non-citizen -- should be placed outside the protections of the law. No one who performs needed work should be denied fair wages and decent conditions. A society that exploits immigrants for their labor while declaring them illegal is caught in a tangle of contradictions."

Update: (3/25) Barbara Boxer slams the bill:

"It's anti-faith based,'' Boxer said. "It's inhumane. Sensenbrenner is inhumane.''

More details on the bill are available from the ACLU here and here. As for what's wrong with employment verification programs, the ACLU explains here.

If you haven't yet voted in the Koufax Liberal Blogging awards, please do. Voting ends Sunday. (Remember, you can only vote once in each category.)

TalkLeft has won the Best Single Issue Blog category the past three years, but this year we have the most competititon ever. Most of our supporters vote by e-mail, rather than leaving their vote in the comments here, but you can do either.

You can e-mail your vote directly to Wampum by clicking here and hitting your send button. (If that doesn't work, try this and put "koufax" in the subject line and "Talkleft for best single issue blog" in the body.)

by TChris

Death penalty opponents have no reason to be heartened by the Supreme Court's announcement that it will rehear argument in Kansas v. Marsh so that Justice Alito can break a tie vote. The issue in Marsh is the facial validity of a statute that requires a jury to vote for death when the aggravating and mitigating factors are equally balanced.

by TChris

As this analysis suggests, the Bush administration's Justice Department may regret seeking the death of Zacarias Moussaoui. Aided by the misconduct of government lawyers, Moussaoui's defenders have skillfully turned government agents into defense witnesses, focusing attention on the government's belief before 9/11 that Moussaoui had no information of value. Putting aside a legal hurdle that the government may be unable to clear (whether Moussaoui can be executed because he failed to provide self-incriminating information to government agents), the government's own witnesses have made a convincing case that federal agencies would probably not have acted upon any truthful information that Moussaoui provided.

Next week, the defense will present additional evidence that Moussaoui functioned on the fringe of al Qaeda and had no specific knowledge of the 9/11 conspiracy. If the defense rested after presenting that evidence, the case might not make it to the jury. As TalkLeft discussed here, the government's theory of prosecution is shaky, and Judge Brinkema might not be satisfied that a rational jury could find it sufficient to support a verdict of death.

Update: Saturday, tens of thousands marched in L.A. Firedoglake has more on the protests.

*******
10,000 in Phoenix along with thousands in Los Angeles and Atlanta rallied today against Congress' proposed anti-immigrant bills:

Congress is considering bills that would make it a felony to be illegally in the United States, impose new penalties on employers who hire illegal immigrants and erect fences along one-third of the U.S.-Mexican border. The proposals have angered many Hispanics. In Phoenix, police said 10,000 demonstrators marched to the office of Republican Sen. Jon Kyl, co-sponsor of a bill that would give illegal immigrants up to five years to leave the country. The turnout clogged a major thoroughfare.

"They're here for the American Dream," said Malissa Greer, 29, who joined a crowd estimated by police to be at least 10,000 strong. "God created all of us. He's not a God of the United States, he's a God of the world."

It appears Carla Martin has advised the court she will invoke her 5th Amendment privilege against self-incrimination if compelled to take the stand Monday at a hearing scheduled by the Judge at which she was to explain her actions. The Judge has quashed the subpoena and canceled Monday's hearing.

Her attorney, Roscoe C. Howard Jr., has said Martin is assembling a defense but is not yet ready to explain her actions publicly.

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Original Post 3/24

A new article in the ABA Journal E-Report examines Carla Martin's actions in violating the sequestration order in the Zacarias Moussaoui trial. Several lawyers (including me) weigh in, as does the esteemed George Washington law professor Stephen Saltzburg.

The Judge has directed Martin to be in Court Monday for a hearing on her actions. It's not known if she will testify or invoke her 5th Amendment privilege against self-incrimination.